SAN DIEGO -- As Trevor Hoffman nears his 500th career save, he has begun to archive his baseball equipment every time he saves a game, the Padres right-handed closer told MLB.com this weekend.

"Each time I save one it's a new record," the all-time saves leader said on Saturday night. "The stuff is for me and my family, my grandchildren, and I hope I have about 80 of them. I'm not about to be putting any of it on eBay."

And so, on Sunday after he secured career save No. 497 in a 3-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers, Hoffman had his cap, glove, baseball shoes, jersey and a game-used ball numbered and authenticated with a small, round silver seal. All that equipment was placed into the club archive, a secure, electronically monitored vault at PETCO Park provided by Padres majority owner John Moores.

The ball he threw to record the final out of the game also is authenticated, but Hoffman takes immediate possession of that treasure and will do so with any of the baseballs he uses to close out a save.

"That's the rule," Moores said. "The player has first right of refusal on any of it."

Moores came to Hoffman during the 2006 season and insisted he maintain an archive of his famous stuff. Hoffman became the all-time saves leader late last season, tying Lee Smith at 478 on Sept. 23 here against the Pirates and recording No. 479 on Sept. 24, also against the Bucs.

"It's been an ongoing battle with him about saving these things," said Moores, who began to archive team paraphernalia after he bought the club in 1994. "If you listen to him, he thinks we're tearing him down to his bare bones. And in a sense, I guess we are."

At the time of the record-setting save, Hoffman sent the final-pitch ball, his cap, his shoes and jersey from that game to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, where it's currently on display in the red-bricked Cooperstown, N.Y., museum. The Hall also has his complete uniform, shoes and ball from save No. 400.

As he nears becoming the first reliever to log 500, Jeff Idelson, a Hall of Fame vice president, said on Sunday that the museum would probably reach out to Hoffman again when he gets to that once unattainable plateau. Only four relievers have surpassed 400 saves, with John Franco (424) and Mariano Rivera (416), trailing Hoffman and Smith.

"Yeah, I would think we'd reach out to the Padres and Trevor to see what he wants to contribute," Idelson said.

It certainly is the year of the Padre in upstate New York. Tony Gwynn, a career Padres right fielder who knocked out 3,141 hits, is being inducted into the Hall along with Cal Ripken Jr. on July 29. Meanwhile, Hoffman continues to put up Hall of Fame numbers for the San Diego club. He has recorded all except two of his saves for the Padres and his 815 appearances are the most for any pitcher with one team in history.

As far as future Hoffman stuff going to Cooperstown, Moores was pretty succinct.

"The Hall can have whatever it wants," he said. "If I were Trevor, I'd want them to have his full uniform from the last save -- and you never know when that's going to be. He may be doing something no one ever does again."

Hoffman's nearly 15-year Padres tenure is sure to continue into next season. If he finishes 40 games this season, his contract for 2008 automatically vests at $7.5 million. With 18 finishes only two months into the season, he's almost halfway there. Hoffman's earning $6.5 million this season, one in which he has already recorded 15 saves in 17 opportunities, including the last 11 in a row.

For Hoffman, parting with his equipment after each save took some adjustment because he admits to being a tad superstitious.

"It's part of my belief system," he said. "I like to wear the same cap all year, even if it gets dirty and sweaty, and I'll use the same glove for two or three years. It's being committed to the game. So I had to change some of my thought process to do this. I used to be a lot worse, like lining up things in my locker the same way and wearing the same underwear, but I don't do that anymore."

Hoffman, though, said he had no plans to authenticate his underwear, promising to launder those garments in case he changes his mind.

Moores, as well, says his club archivist won't dig that deep into Hoffman's wardrobe. Already, the club pays for the recurring costs of new caps, balls and No. 51 uniform tops, while Hoffman is getting some help from the companies that provide his fielding glove and shoes.

Hoffman said he has a bulk deal on $380 gloves for $80 apiece, and that, at the beginning of the season, he received 30 pairs of shoes gratis.

"He needs to do this, no matter what," Moores said with a laugh. "My heart bleeds."